Real estate agents were often thought by their clients to have a substantially broader knowledge of homes and buildings than they did.
"Is this foundation OK?" a client vack then might ask. And the agent would probably respond, "It looks fine. It doesn't appear to be unlevel."
Of course the problem was that whether or not the floors appeared to be level, there could easily be a mired of latent structural problems that the agent couldn't see, or perhaps the agent just missed seeing.
In other cases, the client would call, say, his Uncle Paul who was a pretty good handyman to inspect the property for them. Uncle Paul may or may not be able to provide an educated and thorough inspection and opinion.
Nevertheless, the buyer took it as credible.
After the house closed, held in the middle when things didn't turn out as Uncle Paul and the client thought they should have, was the agent and the designated broker.
Finally, the state real estate commissions were pressured by brokers and sales persons into providing a new real estate license category, that of the home inspector.
But what has turned into a rather odd and frequent occurrence iis homeowners who will not have their home inspected before listing it for sale.
The buyer does, and his inspector finds all sorts of problems that could have been resolved had the seller retained his own inspector.
I have recently decided that I am not going to list a home that has not been inspected.
And it's for the same reason that an attorney doesn't put a witness on the stand without already knowing what his answer will be.
Remember Geraldo Rivera was embarrassed when he took a chance that he knew what unexamined evidence would find?
"In April 1986, Rivera hosted the syndicated special The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault, an ill-fated adventure wherein Rivera excavated what he had been told was the site of Capone's 's buried treasure trove. Rivera broadcast live as the site was excavated, fully expecting to find a store of the former gangster's wealth....A medical examiner was brought along for the excavation in case any dead bodies were excavated. The Ultimately, the vault was found to contain only a few broken bottles." *
I wonder how most agents handle the need for a credible inspection to be done by the listing client? Do you?
*Wikipedia
BILL CHERRY
Broker-Realtor
Since 1966
Keller Williams Dallas Premier
Direct 214 503-8563
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